The National Housing Strategy project will be published within a few days for public discussion. The strategy defines the overall housing policy and has a long-term vision with a horizon of 2030. This was stated by Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Malina Krumova at a conference on "Energy Efficiency Financing in Central and Southeastern Europe" the press office of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works (MRDPW) announced.
 
Refurbishment of the housing stock, creation of technical documentation for all dwellings and correction of imbalances in the market mechanisms of the housing sector are among the main goals of the Strategy, according to Kroumova.
 
The forum was organized within the framework of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU and took place a day before the summit of the Ministers of Central and Southeastern Europe for Energy Efficiency in Sofia.
 
Krumova noted that the housing sector provides enormous potential for meeting energy efficiency goals - energy security, reducing energy poverty, improving the living environment for people, reducing health care costs, and so on. It is therefore necessary to develop a sustainable program for long-term renovation of all residential buildings in the country.
 
She explained that more cost-effective and innovative ways to finance energy efficiency need to be made, including the active participation and partnership of both homeowners and business owners.

 
"After the implementation of the energy efficiency measures under the National Energy Efficiency Program for multifamily residential buildings, the heating and electricity costs of households are reduced by 40 to 60%, while renovation of the residential buildings will require mechanisms to capitalize these positive effects". Krumova also reminded that 44,000 buildings in Bulgaria are in need of renovation.
 
To date, about 2000 of them have been upgraded to the National Energy Efficiency Program for Multifamily Residential Buildings, and efforts are being made to create mechanisms for renovating more buildings.